Doncaster residents 'will face weeks of anxiety over flood alert'

Pam Webb, whose Truffle Lodge Spa and her home in Fishlake were devastated by the waters which overflowed from the Don in November 2019, fears even if the village does not flood this week, there will be concerns for some time.

She said: “There has been the snow melt from the peaks that will be in the river now. But I am always in mind that in 2019, we had a lot of rain on October 26 and October 27, when the water was rushing through. That was when something should have been done. Then, a couple of weeks later in November, we had 24 hours of solid rain. That's when we flooded.

"What we don’t want is a huge downpour in a couple of weeks when the ground is really sodden.

"There is a lot of anxiety. We need to channel that anxiety into something positive, but what happened in 2019 is still raw.”

Pam, who collared Prime Minister Boris Johnson to get to promise support when he visited Fishlake after the last floods, has been in frequent contact with the Environment Agency, and said she was aware that there had been flood defence work done since then, and hoped it would be enough to prevent any repeat.

"It seemed to take a lot of time,” she said. “But they have raised the banks from Stainforth and filled in some areas.”

She said she thought the village had received more support this time in readiness for possible flooding.

"Last time, we felt abandoned,” she said. “We can’t stop the rain but we can have better defences. We’re still on alert, not warning. I’ve got sandbags down, and I have what they call hydrosacks to put out, which inflate when water hits them. I’ve not put those out yet.

"We were in ignorant bliss before the last flood, and didn’t know what was coming. This time so many people have only just back back into their homes, or still haven’t returned yet."

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.